socorro

Forms

socorro m (plural socorros, metaphonic)^[1] 15th-century documents write socoro and ssocorro, and a letter of 1554 abbreviates it socõro.^[2][3] Morais (1813) and texts of the early 19th century still use soccorro, which Wiktionary lists as an alternative spelling.^[4][1] A regional form secorro is recorded in Portugal.^[5]

Etymology

It is a back-formation from Portuguese socorrer (“to help, rescue”), as Houaiss, Cunha, Aurélio and the DLP all explain it.^[6][7][8][9] The verb is recorded from the 13th century and comes from Latin succurrō (“to run to help, aid”), formed from sub- (“under”) and currō (“to run”).^[10][7][11] Wiktionary calls the verb a learned borrowing from Latin.^[1]

The verb has the cognates Galician socorrer, Spanish socorrer, Catalan socórrer, Occitan secórrer, French secourir and Italian soccorrere.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lorenzo's earliest records are from a document of 1435 or 1436, que vierem em seu socoro… cujo socorro a uos he “who come to his aid… whose help is yours”.^[2] A record of 1456 has pera o ssocorro da nossa çidade “for the relief of our city”.^[2] Houaiss dates the noun to the 15th century, and Cunha agrees.^[6][7] The first records concern help sent in war.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Cardoso (1569) and Barbosa (1611) render it with Latin subsidium, auxilium and praesidium.^[12][13] Bluteau defines it as help given at a time of need and records socorro de dinheiro “money help” and pedir socorro “to call for help”.^[14] Morais (1813) describes it as help to someone who lacks what could cause him great harm, and lists reinforcements of soldiers, provisions, weapons or money.^[4] The original Caldas Aulete adds “alms” and a military sense, an advance of pay.^[15]

The cry socorro! “help!” is recorded as an interjection in the modern dictionaries, and Wiktionary also notes a humorous or ironic use for surprise.^[9][16][1] In Bahia socorro is short for pneu de socorro, a spare tyre.^[6][17]

Timeline

• 13th century – first records of the verb socorrer, also in the Cantigas de Santa Maria.^[10][18]
• 1435 or 1436 – socoro and socorro in a document quoted by Lorenzo.^[2]
• 1450 – the Livro das tres vertudes uses the noun.^[19]
• 1456 – pera o ssocorro da nossa çidade.^[2]
• 1554 – socõro in a private letter.^[3]
• 1569 – Cardoso's dictionary renders it with Latin subsidium.^[12]
• 1813 – Morais spells it both socorro and soccorro.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. help, aid or assistance given to someone in danger, need or illness: Os bombeiros chegaram depressa em socorro dos feridos.^[6][8][1]
2. What is given to help someone; relief; alms.^[6][20]
3. (in the plural) primeiros socorros “first aid”, the immediate help given in an emergency.^[21]
4. A provident institution through which members help one another.^[9]
5. (military, obsolete) An advance of pay given to soldiers.^[20][15]
6. (Bahia, Brazil) A spare tyre.^[6][17]

Interjection

1. “Help!”, a cry for assistance in danger.^[9][16][1]
2. (humorous or ironic) An exclamation of surprise or dismay.^[1]

Word family

• socorrista

Related words

• socorrer
• socorrimento
• correr
• Spanish socorro

Usage notes

Socorro is also a female given name, short for Nossa Senhora do Perpétuo Socorro, a title of the Virgin Mary.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Instituto da Lingua Galega, Dicionario de dicionarios do galego medieval (DDGM), ed. Ernesto González Seoane, Santiago de Compostela: Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, https://ilg.usc.gal/ddgm, p. s.v. socorro
3. ^ a b CLUL (ed.) (2014), P.S. Post Scriptum: Arquivo Digital de Escrita Quotidiana em Portugal e Espanha na Época Moderna, Lisboa: Centro de Linguística da Universidade de Lisboa, http://ps.clul.ul.pt, p. s.v. socorro
4. ^ a b c Silva, António de Morais (1813), Diccionario da lingua portugueza, 2nd ed., 2 vols., Lisboa: Typographia Lacerdina, p. 2, 713
5. ^ Instituto da Lingua Galega, Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (TLPGP), Santiago de Compostela: Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, https://ilg.usc.gal/tesouro, p. s.v. socorro
6. ^ a b c d e f Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. socorro
7. ^ a b c Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. socorrer
8. ^ a b Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. socorro
9. ^ a b c d Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, revised online edition (2023–) of the Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa Contemporânea (2001), https://dicionario.acad-ciencias.pt, p. s.v. socorro
10. ^ a b Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. socorrer
11. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. s.v. succurrō
12. ^ a b Cardoso, Jerónimo (1569–1570), Dictionarium ex lusitanico in latinum sermonem, Lisboa: João Álvares (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. socorro
13. ^ Barbosa, Agostinho (1611), Dictionarium lusitanicolatinum, Braga: Fructuoso Lourenço de Basto (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. socorro
14. ^ Bluteau, Raphael (1712–1728), Vocabulario portuguez e latino, 8 vols. + 2 supplement vols., Coimbra / Lisboa (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. socorro
15. ^ a b Aulete, Francisco Júlio Caldas, Dicionário contemporâneo da língua portuguesa (1st ed. 1881), online as Aulete Digital, Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, https://aulete.com.br, p. s.v. socorro
16. ^ a b Michaelis: Moderno Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, São Paulo: Melhoramentos (online as Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa, https://michaelis.uol.com.br), p. s.v. socorro!
17. ^ a b Navarro, Fred (2004), Dicionário do Nordeste, São Paulo: Estação Liberdade, p. s.v. socorro
18. ^ Instituto da Lingua Galega, Dicionario de dicionarios do galego medieval (DDGM), ed. Ernesto González Seoane, Santiago de Compostela: Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, https://ilg.usc.gal/ddgm, p. s.v. socorrer
19. ^ Centro de Linguística da Universidade de Lisboa, CTA – Corpus de Textos Antigos, https://teitok.clul.ul.pt/cta, p. s.v. socorro
20. ^ a b Michaelis: Moderno Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, São Paulo: Melhoramentos (online as Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa, https://michaelis.uol.com.br), p. s.v. socorro
21. ^ Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa, Lisboa: Priberam Informática, https://dicionario.priberam.org, p. s.v. socorro